Description
A composite violin after Guarneri del Gesú made by Jack Lott and comprising the back and sides of a Cremonese violin by Lorenzo Storioni, circa 1790
Labelled: Bearing a label indicating Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesú.
Jack Lott’s reputation as the great forger of the nineteenth century is well demonstrated in this example, in which he has taken parts of a damaged violin by Lorenzo Storioni and rebuilt them into a violin that bears striking resemblance to the work of Guarneri del Gesú. This would have been especially dangerous as a forgery in the middle of the nineteenth century when fewer original works of the maker were in circulation. In short, whilst many of Lott’s instruments are more aptly described as very fine pastiche work, there is reason to strongly believe that this instrument was built with the intention to deceive, and that it would have been sold and owned as an authentic del Gesú. Furthermore, in the period where Paganini-mania was at its height, the adoption of soundholes taken from Paganini’s 1743 del Gesú, Il Canone fits into a culture where musicians and collectors fought to specifically find violins that resembled Paganini’s own.
The back and ribs of the violin are much restored, and as with several of Jack Lott’s composites they appear to recycle instruments that had suffered significant harm. The scroll, by Lott is of American sugar maple, a wood that is typical for the early 1800s in high-class English making with beautiful flame similar to the most striking wood used by the Cremonese. The belly is entirely his own work, and the positioning of the soundholes relative to one and other – exactly symmetrical, and within the outline of the instrument is one of the significant clues that prevents it from being a real Guarneri violin. Lott’s deception is noted in the purfling where, unable to reproduce that of Storioni, he has used thick purfling on the front, and re-purfled the back so that the two parts of the violin appear to be original to one and other.
The violin is visually stunning with much of the presence of the real thing, and may perhaps be as close a response to Paganini’s influence as it is possible to contemplate.
Certificate: Benjamin Hebbert
Condition notes: The back and ribs of the violin have gone through considerable repair by Jack Lott, and have suffered many cracks including a soundpost crack. The instrument has been thoroughly disassembled and restored in preparation for bringing this to market. The scroll, made of sugar maple has several natural fissures in the wood, as associated with this species. These have also been consolidated. The instrument is priced taking these factors into account.
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